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Monday, January 22, 2007

After watching the Colts-Patriots AFC Championship game, all I have to say is wow. I say that this was the most exciting conference championship game I've ever watched. It was far more entertaining than the NFC game featuring Da Bears and the feel good New Orleans Saints. The Saints hung in there for a while and looked like they were about to take the game over, but that game just unraveled too fast for them in the fourth quarter. I was rooting for the Saints, but as soon as I saw rookie Reggie Bush scamper for 80+ yards, pointed towards Brian Urlacher on the way before he somersaulted into the end zone, and capped it off with a little jig, I wanted the Bears to be the ones doing the Super Bowl Shuffle.

I must say I'm surprised at how I felt about the Colts winning their game. I've never been a big Peyton Manning fan, but I did find myself feeling good for him once the game was all but wrapped up. With all the pressure and criticism he's gotten since his college days (never being able to beat Florida, and also losing to Penn State twice in bowl games), and all the talk about not winning a big one in the pros, you have to feel good for a guy who finally gets past all of that. Having said that though, if he plays a stinker against the Bears, all of this talk is hogwash.

Who I feel better for actually is Tony Dungy. Dungy has been through pretty much the same deal as Peyton, but form the coaching perspective. Dungy has always had good defenses with Tampa Bay and good offenses with Indianapolis but never could get them past a certain point. The Eagles beat up on Dungy'sBucs time and time again, and the Patriots and Jets put a hurting on his Colts. Tony Dungy is a class act on and off the field. His family has been through a lot in the past few years and I hope he does well in the Super Bowl.

Too early to make my Super Bowl prediction, but I do feel that the Bud Light squad is primed for a victory over Bud in the Bud Bowl.

Friday, January 19, 2007

So we are down to the final four teams in the NFL. We've had some surprises and a lot of excitement thus far and I think we can expect that trend to continue this weekend with the conference championship games. Here's my quick outlook on the match ups.

Indianapolis Colts vs. New England PatriotsAs has been the case the last few years, the AFC championship is widely being viewed as the "real" Super Bowl. There is no question that these two teams appear stronger than the NFC teams, but let us not get too far ahead of the moment. There will be a lot of talk about Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady (Brady holds a clear advantage in their history). Manning has had another sub-par post season, throwing for five interceptions and one touchdown and has been carried by his defense and the leg of their former Patriot kicker. Brady on the other hand has shown the ability to lead his team and will them to victory as he usually does. Brady hasn't had a flawless post season, but when his team has needed him he has come through. It is no wonder he has a stellar 11-1 post season record. That is just unbelievable.

The Patriots defense will have to come out ready to play and get back to their old ways of frustrating Manning. A couple interceptions, which is likely, would do just that. I don't see the Colts defense holding up the way they have much longer, and if anybody can pick them apart it is Bill Bellicheck. Patriots come out of the RCA Dome AFC Champions for the fourth time in six years. Patriots 27, Colts 17

Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans SaintsThis game will concentrate on two major story lines; the magical season the Saints have had and the play of Rex Grossman. The more important story line will be the play of Grossman. Chicago's defense is good but not invincible. Drew Brees is a smart quarterback with a smart coach and a feisty offensive line. With the talents the Saints have at running back it should be a key for them to operate an effective running game even against the Bears. Not that Chicago can't do the same, because the Saints defense is just as vulnerable.

I do believe though that this game will come down more to the elements. I do not believe that it really is a factor when it comes to a championship game, but I can not bypass the history. Teams that play in a dome traditionally do note perform well outside in cold weather, and Chicago is one of the coldest places to play this time of year. I think factors like that bring this game down to the special teams, an area where I believe the Bears have an advantage. We all know the talent the Bears possess on punt and kick returns as well as their kicker Robbie Gould. So, call me nuts if you wish, but I'm picking the Bears to squeak this one out at home, despite Grossman. Bears 27, Saints 24

Thursday, January 11, 2007

I love how people actually think this will finally make soccer big in the United States. For anybody who is foolish to believe that, I feel sorry for you. I really do. This could be the absolute worst use of $250 million in this country ever, nudging past Alex Rodriguez. Soccer may be the world's sport, and I'm fine with that, but please don't try to tell me that soccer will finally contend with the sports we already have here for my attention span.-------------------------------------

So Florida demolished Ohio State in the BCS National Championship. Wow. I didn't see that coming, seriously! But now the 41-14 lopsided game is calling the critics of the Big Ten and Ohio State out. ESPN actually did a short story stating why Ohio State should not have even been IN the game! How in the world can anybody be convinced they should NOT have been in the game, before witnessing the beatdown. How insane is that? Ohio State should have been in that game, just as much as Donovan McNabb should be the starting quarterback for the Eagles when he comes back form injury next year. There is no question about it.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Psssst! Ohio State? Your plane for the BCS Championship Game left without you!

I don't know what happened, but the #1 team in the nation all year long got to feel the pain of the Gators chomping on their arteries last night and boy did it hurt! The seven point favorites started falling early when their star receiver, Ted Ginn Jr., left the game with an injury and Heisman trophy winner Troy Smith couldn't do anything to lead the Buckeyes past a faster, hungrier Florida Gator squad. Hats off to Florida coach Urban Meyer, who campaigned for his team to get the BCS title chance nod as the regular season drew to a close. Thumbs down to usually great BCS gameday coach Jim Tressel. I don't care what the circumstances are, you NEVER go for it on 4th and 1 on your own 29 yard line in the first half. Second half is a different story, but NEVER in the first half. I don't care if you're trying to pump your team up. That move right there really did the Buckeyes in for good I believe, as Florida, already up 24-14, went into halftime with a 34-14 lead. Perhaps Tressel was giving the "Charlie Weis" method of not waiting for halftime to make adjustments a whirl. We all know how well that turned out.

So Florida is the national champion. But I say Boise State is the national champion. Using the old "Slippery Rock" logic, Boise State beat Wyoming, who beat New Mexico, who beat Colorado State, who beat Fresno State, who beat Southern Methodist, who beat Tulsa, who beat Navy, who beat Connecticut, who beat Pittsburgh, who beat Cincinnati, who beat Rutgers, who beat Louisville, who beat Kentucky, who beat Georgia, who beat Auburn, who beat Florida. Who needs the BCS? Who wants a playoff?

Meanwhile in baseball world, the Hall of Fame formerly announced two new inductees; Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. These two guys may possibly be the last two inductees who are not already on the ballot, who played for only one team his entire career. Are there any more out there? It is a darn shame that Mark McGwire's controversy is overshadowing the induction of two of the absolute most positive influences baseball has had in a very long time. The other shame is the fact that neither of the two were voted for unanimously. Ripken I could understand, but if you don't vote for Tony Gwynn you fall into two categories:

1. You never vote for a player his first time on the ballot, which to me makes no sense. What makes a player that much great one year later, five years later etc.? If he is great enough to be voted for at ANY point in time, he deserves the vote the first time.2. You are a moron.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Did you see Notre Dame the other night. I have to hand it to them. They hung in there for about a half before the true fraud Notre Dame surfaced in the second half. Everything about Notre Dame infuriates me.

How many times did I have to hear that Charlie Weis wasn't going to wait until halftime to make adjustments in the game? Fact is EVERY coach in football makes adjustments before halftime. This is nothing new. What, are we supposed to bow to Weis because he did the same thing that every coach who has ever won anything has done before? Maybe Weis should have waited for halftime, because he sure didn't seem to make any adjustments then.

Notre Dame is overrated and over-hyped and it is clear. But as long as they beat their weak schedule nine or ten times every year, which they should, then they will weasel their way into a BCS invitation, especially now with the extra BCS game hanging out there. We need more of Wisconsin (who would have played LSU if the Big Ten didn't already have Ohio State and Michigan in BCS games) and Arkansas or Auburn, and less...much less of Notre Dame.

Interesting that ND lost a highly touted recruit, who happens to be from Louisiana. Think being blown out by LSU in the Sugar Bowl had anything to do with it? Nah.

As for the BCS, read this article from ESPN.com about the start of the downfall of college football. It centers around the story of the Fiesta Bowl between Penn State and Miami, Good vs. Evil, Joe Pa vs. Jimmy the Hair, and more. It's really quite interesting.The Night College Football Went to Hell

--------------------The Eagles will beat the Giants. They have too. If they lose this game the season will be viewed as a disaster. After everything they did to get to this point they can not lose a home game against a division rival and have their Cinderella title taken from them and headed up north. The Eagles are better in just about every category except maybe linebacker, but nothing about the Giants scares me. Perhaps I should be scared most of my overconfidence. After all, this is Philadelphia.

Bill Cowher retired today from the Steelers. Something tells me though that he'll be back in some capacity and will be heard from without too long of an absence.

I check this site out just about every day and figured it is time to spread the word about it. If you're interested in free ware, give this link a visit. This ticker is supposed to tell you what the giveaway of the day is every time it changes.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Hello and welcome to the year 2007! 2006 finished off better than expected with the Eagles coming back and winning the NFC East division crown and 2007 got off to a good start with Penn State picking up the first win for the Big Ten conference in bowl play (Wisconsin soon after got the 2nd). So what's going to happen this year? Only time will tell but here are ten things I'm going on record with predicting right now. Some are consensus opinions and thoughts with many and some are a little more bold predictions.

1. Eagles ride will continue to the Super Bowl. They should beat the Giants with relatively no problem. And I believe that experience does count when they play the New Orleans Saints, and they could end up hosting the NFC Championship against Seattle...or Dallas. All bets are off against the Baltimore Ravens though.

2. T.O. will remain in Dallas. Parcells will not.

3. Flyers will miss the playoffs for the first time in a while. The shakeup and reformation will continue with letting Forsberg go and one of the goalies being traded or let go (see ya Esche).

4. Sixers will not get the first overall pick in the NBA draft, but will be top three and will generate some enthusiasm with a quality draft.

5. Phillies make the playoffs, clinching the NL East thanks in large part to Mets pitching to start the season due to injuries and the fact that Barry Zito went to San Francisco. Ryan Howard's homerun total drops from 2006 but still hits 40 easily.

6. Penn State returns to a BCS Bowl after 11-1 season, beating Notre Dame and Ohio State along the way...lose at Michigan.

7. Barry Bonds sits out any number of games due to a knee "injury" while the Giants are on the road, and plays in only home games until he breaks Hank Aaron's record.

8. One Philadelphia team (Villanova) out of three (Penn and Drexel) make it to the Sweet 16. Penn State joins them.

9. Bobby Bowden announces his retirement, having already given back the career record for all time coaching victories back to Joe Paterno, and leaves Paterno a clear path to cushioning the space between them.

10. Donovan McNabb wins comeback player of the year.

There you go. We'll check back in 2008 to see how close I got with this list! To everybody, thanks for reading and have a good, safe and pleasant 2007!